Press Releases

While Trump Breaks His Promises and Raises Bills, States Are Cutting Pollution and Costs

Press Contact: Emily Halvorson

To: Interested Parties
From: Evergreen Action Vice President for States Justin Balik
Date: July 10, 2025
RE: While Trump Breaks His Promises and Raises Bills, States Are Cutting Pollution and Costs

The enactment of Trump’s reconciliation legislation confirms once and for all what many feared: this administration has abandoned its core promise to make life easier and more affordable for working people. 

Instead of easing costs, the administration is driving them up—gutting clean energy incentives, propping up the dying coal industry, and pushing policies that hit Americans where it hurts: in their energy, housing, and transportation bills.

But even as the federal government backslides, states are stepping up. Governors and legislators across the country are showing that tackling the climate crisis goes hand-in-hand with lowering costs and building thriving communities. Their work won’t fully undo the damage from Washington, but it can serve as a powerful blueprint for even greater progress going forward, just as many state-level successes helped shape the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

The bottom line: states are showing that lowering costs and cutting climate pollution aren’t opposing goals—they’re part of the same strategy to deliver economic security and climate action. And these clear examples of state leadership can be scaled in other states immediately while informing future federal policymaking. 

Put simply, states are the ones fighting to lower costs and cut pollution, showing that these two goals work together to help people and communities succeed. 

Electricity and Utility Bills

  • Maryland Governor Wes Moore secured $19 million in funding from a local utility to help low- and moderate-income residents pay their electricity bills amid rising costs.

  • New York Governor Kathy Hochul called on the state’s Public Service Commission to reject a massive rate hike proposed by Con Edison, one of New York’s largest utilities. 

  • New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial candidates Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger both released energy affordability plans that explicitly center more clean energy deployment and call for accountability for Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), utilities, and data center developers—joining leaders like Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.

  • Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro is pushing his Lightning Plan to accelerate clean energy deployment and reduce consumer energy bills. He’s also holding regional grid operator PJM Interconnection accountable for delays in bringing new projects online which are keeping prices high, securing savings for consumers.  

  • A coalition of Northeast states finalized updates to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, prioritizing more clean power deployment and affordable, reliable electricity for consumers.

  • Michigan leaders are speaking out as Trump’s Department of Energy fights to keep expensive, polluting coal plants online, arguing these facilities will impose unnecessary economic costs on ratepayers.

  • Oregon Governor Kotek signed the POWER Act, creating a new rate class for power-hungry facilities such as data centers to prevent unfair costs from being passed on to everyday consumers. 

Clean and Affordable Transportation 

As Trump and his allies in Congress roll back electric vehicle (EV) tax credits and California’s regulatory authority, states are stepping up:

  • A group of states launched the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition to create the next generation of EV policies, focusing on defending consumer choice and incentives and developing new clean car standards.

  • California and other states are heading to court to defend their authority to regulate vehicle emissions and protect public health.

  • Governors are working to keep mass transit systems viable, essential for providing affordable commuting options and cutting climate pollution.
    • Governor Hochul successfully defended New York’s flourishing congestion pricing program from Trump administration attacks.

    • Governor Healey secured new Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority funding.

    • Governor Shapiro continues to aggressively press for a statewide sustainable funding solution for Pennsylvania transit. 

Housing

  • California Governor Newsom and state Democrats just enacted a sweeping law to increase housing production by ensuring state environmental review processes can’t be weaponized to block new construction. Building more housing, especially in densely populated areas, is one of the most powerful tools states have to reduce both pollution and housing costs. 

Conclusion

No state policy can fully make up for the damage done by Trump and congressional Republicans. Their economic sabotage will drive up household bills, destroy jobs, and stall our climate progress. 

But while they’ve betrayed working America, state leaders are lighting a better path—one that protects our climate while investing in the economic well-being of working people.